“Who’s that Knocking at your Door?”
Matthew 7:15-24
This passage of scripture is found toward the end of the longest sermon Jesus ever preached. In Matthew 5, 6 and 7 we find the famous sermon on the mount. Jesus has discussed every topic and sin imaginable …adultery, murder, revenge, how to treat our enemies, prayer, fasting, worry, a wide array of topics and as He begins to close his message he moves to the topic of how to recognize a false prophet. Following that he closes the message by telling us the importance of putting all of these things into practice.
Jesus knew there would always be false prophets. There were in his day. A man named Theudas had led the people out and had promised with one word that he could split the waters of Jordan in two. Nothing happened. Another prophet from Egypt said he would lay flat the walls of Jerusalem. They were left standing. Simon Magus promised to go to a mountain and jump off and fly through the air. He’s dead.
In our day there has been no end to false prophets. Jonestown clamed 900 victims, Marshall Applewhite with 1000 followers convinced 39 of them to take some sleeping pills and allow him to suffocate them. There was a comet that would be coming through and he said that the chariot would swing low and come to carry them home. They bought it and they all died in the process. Bizarre. Yet people are pulled into cults every day in America. Because there is deception and people do not see the trap they are walking into.
Jesus said, watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing but inside they are ferocious wolves. This paints quite a picture for us doesn’t it? This was a common analogy used in scripture. Jeremiah referred to these false prophets as wolves. Paul warned the church in Ephesus of dangers out there and he put it this way: fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Jesus said he was sending out his disciples like sheep in the midst of wolves. That was the job of the shepherd.
The role of the shepherd and the role of the pastor have been compared for centuries. Like the shepherd the pastor of a congregation has a 3 fold responsibility. (1) to feed the flock. Sheep love to eat. The problem is that many times they get so engrossed in eating, moving along that when they finally look up they have gotten so far away from the flock that they are now lost. One of the jobs is to be a teacher and to feed the people with God’s word. (2) to lead the flock. Sheep will follow the shepherd. I am told that you can bring sheep in from one fold and place them with another fold but when the shepherd calls them out they will hear his voice and go to the right place. (3) to protect the flock. Sheep tend to wander. They get themselves into traps and places where they have no business. In fact the shepherd’s staff was always shaped like a (hook) for a reason. The shepherd could often be seen using the crook in the staff to rescue a little lamb and get them out of trouble. The opposite end could be used to strike at a wolf that may be trying to get into the flock.
In Bible days there was what we know as the sheepfold. This was the place where the sheep would sleep at night. Often it was a square wall made from stones. There was one opening to get in and in that opening that is where the shepherd could sleep at night. If an animal/wolf was going to try to get in they would have to come across the shepherd to do so. The shepherd would protect the flock. And I strongly feel that is a part of my job as your pastor, not because you are helpless but because I genuinely care about each of you. So I want to feed, lead and protect this flock God has given me to look after.
Jesus said look out for these false prophets – they will come to you in sheep’s clothing. Now this is a very interesting way to trap someone. This is saying that the trap looks just like the prey. You can’t tell them apart.
Here is how this works. The trap does not really have to be very big. It just has to have big results. Take this mousetrap for instance. We’ve all used them. They look like they’re not really so dangerous because they’re so small. They have cheese on them because the prey, the mouse loves cheese. And when he moves for the bait and just takes a nibble—it doesn’t take much to set it off. (Slam). And then they’re caught. They’re dead. You see the trap looks like something that they will really enjoy but because their eyes are completely focused on the bait, they don’t see the big picture.
Why is it that people fall into a cult? Let me give you 5 reasons. Characteristics. (1) a desire to belong to something big. Most of us realize life is not all about us and we want to be a part of something that has purpose and is bigger than we are. (2) failure to ask enough question. Let’s face it, some people are just plain gullible. Whatever you tell them they believe it. They need to ask more questions. (3) Impatience. They want quick answers. Don’t we all? We live in a day when everyone wants things right now. From microwave dinners to email or Google we want it right now. And we think it is that way with God also. (4) some lack confidence. So they are easily pulled in by someone else. Especially someone
who appears to be confident and offers them quick answers. (5) a desire to find purpose/meaning in life.
Now if you look carefully at these and if you’re honest you will agree that at certain times in our lives we have all had one or more of these characteristics. So you are a target.
Here is a definition of a cult. A cult is a group of people who claim to be Christian but clearly deny the central teachings of the Christian faith as taught in the Bible.
We are not talking about Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam—those we refer to as false religions—they however do not claim to be Christian. Cults do and that is why we must be careful. These cults have put on sheep’s clothing, camouflaged themselves to make them look like a typical member of the flock. To blend right in.
Now Jesus says in v. 16 “by their fruit you will recognize them.” That doesn’t mean that you and I are judging them; it just means that we are fruit inspectors. I cannot expect to go to a thorn bush and pick this lemon. He says you will recognize the tree/bush by it’s fruit. And their fruit they produce comes directly from the beliefs they hold. Here are some general beliefs cults hold.
First of all they have a bait and switch mentality. Sales people sometimes do this. Not all of them. But you tell people one thing about the product, a price for instance only realize that they are not telling you the whole truth. Or you talk about something that will get their attention, then switch to the actual topic. It’s called bait and switch. We have all seen it.
(2) they believe that they are the ONLY true church. JW’s will tell this; Mormons will tell you this….that they will be the only ones in heaven. The President of the Mormon church said “this is not just another church…this is the only true church upon the face of the earth.”
Now list, as a Christian and as a Baptist I firmly believe that I am a true believer. You may say well they have the right to believe that also. But here’s the difference. As a Christian and a Baptist I do believe that I am right; I’m just not the only one who is right. Which brings me to the 3rd point.
(3) The leader of the group has complete authority. Members will always point to a man as their leader. Jehovah’s witnesses point to Charles Russell. Joseph Smith founded the Mormons and got a new revelation that the Bible was not complete. This book was called another testament of Jesus Christ. Brings me to the 4th one.
(4) They have other books they believe are equal to the Bible. Mormons believe Never mind that the Bible in Revelation 22 clearly says not to do that and that if you do, your place in the Holy City will be removed. That gets my attention.
(5) Cults do not believe that Jesus is God but they do believe that their “prophet” is equal to Jesus. Cults teach that Jesus was not fully God. This is direct opposition to what we believe and it is critical to our faith.
How do they do this? One way…Jehovah’s witnesses knocked on my door several years ago on Christmas day. They don’t celebrate Christmas so the day meant nothing to them. I asked them if they believed that Jesus is God and they said no, we believe he is God’s son. I said we believe He is fully God and we believe he is the only God. I pointed them to John 1:1 which says in the beginning was the word and the word was with God. Their version which has been changed says in the beginning was the word and the word was a god. In other words, one of many.
Years ago the Unification Church was established also known as the Moonies. They were and are a cult. They had hundreds of different names they went by as a church to try to deceive as many people as possible. They were led by Rev. Sun Young Moon. The followers were known as Moonies. They came to my office and wanted me to look at their teachings on video tape. I did and they were full of so many lies. They asked me to use them in the church which I did to point out their false teachings. I did become friends with them and met with them frequently to talk about the faith. They told me that Jesus was a good man and that he did come to die for our sins but that he failed because he was crucified on across. Rev. Moon came to finish what Jesus was not able to do. I said do you believe that Rev. Moon is equal to Jesus and they said at least! Listen beware of these groups. Learn to deal with them and to stay away from their traps. Jesus is God. Jesus is our savior and He is fully God. That is why we worship Him. Don’t let anyone tell you anything different.
